


I Believe in Who You'll Be || Takeda Ittetsu

by Rot_Llaves



Series: Ace of Hearts - Haikyuu || Short Stories || One Shots || Creative Rambles || [4]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Coach troubles, Coach's Wife Trope, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Married Life, Possible AU cause Takeda didn't actually have a wife?, Relationship Struggles, Romance, Slice of Life, manga spoilers?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-28
Updated: 2020-04-28
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:29:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,614
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23894602
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rot_Llaves/pseuds/Rot_Llaves
Summary: Takeda Ittetsu has always been behind the boy's volleyball team 100 percent. Maybe that's because someone also has his back.
Relationships: Takeda Ittetsu/Original Female Character(s)
Series: Ace of Hearts - Haikyuu || Short Stories || One Shots || Creative Rambles || [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1720834
Kudos: 17





	I Believe in Who You'll Be || Takeda Ittetsu

In a lot of ways, Namie was fooling herself when she thought that married life would be simple and quiet. After all, her life with Ittetsu had been just that up until that point — why wouldn't the future be as well?

They had met in the university library on one of those days where it feels like the light drizzle might just stay around forever. It was warm inside the library and when their hands met over a book on child development, they would both blame the hues on their cheeks on the power of central heating. Takeda Ittetsu had always been a nervous wreck when it came to anything other than helping people and Namie came to love his duality.

She liked to joke that he begged her to date him, but they both know she did most of the begging. She begged him to put his book down for one moment and look her in the eyes. She begged him to take a break and join her for coffee. She begged him to kiss her that night they walked home from the movies, both still unsure of what they even were. Their love story had been so simple and quiet and utterly beautiful. So, when he asked her to marry him on the day of their graduation, in the same library where they had first met, she said yes without hesitation. 

It took them longer than they thought to get on their feet, as they saved for their perfect small, traditional ceremony with just their families. Ittetsu sunk into his job as a teacher with ease as Namie pushed her way through her Psy.D program while interning at the local hospital. Their lives had become far less simple but it didn't stop them from having their quiet wedding in March, just before her graduation — because despite the accumulated stress of a dissertation and a wedding, Namie was going to be damned if her diploma had her maiden name on it when she was so excited to take Ittetsu's.

Looking back, Namie almost missed those days. Though they may have been hectic, they were still simple and quiet compared to their lives just two years later. Now, her dear husband was up to his ears in responsibilities at the high school — the newest of which was advising the male volleyball team.

She could still see his nervous face over the dinner table as he announced that he was now charged with overseeing the team, since the previous coach had collapsed. The image of him fidgeting with his chopsticks as he tried his best to keep a smile on his face still burned in her mind.

"But what do you even know about volleyball," she had asked him, incredulous about the decision.

"Nothing at all," he had replied with a smile. "But isn't that exciting? It's a chance to grow."

There had been so many nights after that, where Namie brushed her hands through her husband's hair as he agonized over how little he'd done for the team, about how he wasn't what they needed to succeed and that he had so much more to do. There were so many mornings she woke him up with a light kiss to the forehead, reminding him that he had young minds to mould, and a wife who believed in him. And she watched him come into his own as he struggled to make himself be more than he was yesterday. She watched him grow as he took those skills he'd always had and used them to the benefit of the team.

There was nothing quite like the look on his face when he came racing home, later than he ever had, and told her he finally, FINALLY got the team a coach — and not just _any_ coach. He got the team a Ukai. She'd grabbed both his hands the moment the words were out of his mouth and jumped up and down with him in celebration. There wasn't a woman out there more proud of her husband than Namie was in that moment.

After that, though, the nights started getting longer and the quiet moments with her husband decreased. Sure, things were starting to go Karasuno's way, but her Tetsu was coming home more and more tired and more determined to make everything go right for those boys. Their wins were his wins and their losses were his to bear as well — and it was still okay, even if things weren't simple and quiet.

Maybe things got a little more complicated when Takeda came home practically begging to use their nest egg to fund a trip to Tokyo and they had their first big fight as Namie argued that, if they were going to use their reserve for anything, it should be used to pay down her students loans. Ittetsu was adamant though and his wife practically told him to spend the night in the Karasuno gym.

"I don't get it Tetsu," she had screamed at him. "Why are you so willing to throw everything away for these kids?"

"Because," he had responded calmly, moving to hold Namie's hands. "When I look at these kids, I see so much potential and hope. How can I not give it my all, faced with such unyielding determination."

There were very few times Namie had felt like time stopped. She hardly ever had those types of moments where you swore, when you were old and grey, you would remember every detail of the moment, down to the way the air smelled. But as she stood there holding her husband's hand she knew she would never forget the look on his face and the seriousness in his eyes.

"Okay," she had whispered, squeezing his hand lightly. "Okay, you win."

She had been content with the decision. Though, she would admit, she was happy when it didn't come down to the team needing their savings and she was a bit peeved when she had an extremely hung over husband at the end of the trip

It was worse, though, when he came home an absolute wreck, in tears because two of the first years had gotten in an actual fight and 'things are falling apart.' There was nothing she could do as (it looked like at least) everything her husband had fought so hard for dissipated at the hands of two 15-year-olds. And Namie had enough.

"Tetsu you have to stop this," she whispered into his hair that night as they lay together in their bed. "You don't owe those children your life. You don't have to give them your whole soul."

Their bed creaked as he shifted to face her and reached his hand out to run his fingers through her hair.

"Who will then," he asked her softly. "If not me, then who will show these kids that someone believes in, unconditionally. How will they come to believe in themselves."

In the end, Takeda was always the man she'd fallen in love with. He always won.

His belief hadn't been misplaced, either. Despite setbacks and all those summer nights alone, everything he gave had been worth it when Ukai dragged Namie's (extremely inebriated) husband to their front door with a huge smile on his face and announced the team was headed to nationals.

As Keishin passed over the drunken teacher to his wife, he apologized for Takeda's state with a chuckle and a shrug.

"Looks like you have more nights alone to look forward to," he said with feigned pity as she tried to keep her husband upright in her arms. He apologized again for Takeda's state, his hand scratching at his neck, and Namie gave him a knowing smirk.

"It's no problem Ukai-san, he deserves this," she said before pausing to reflect on how much she and her husband had given to be in this moment and her smile grew. "He also deserves tomorrow's hangover though. See you later!"

...

Namie chuckled to herself as she remembered closing the door in Ukai's face, all those years ago, and turned toward her husband who was frantically looking for an envelope with tickets in them. Today was a big day for Ittetsu, even though neither of them would say it out loud.

"They're on your bedside table," she said, trying to hold back from laughing at his flustered face.

"Oh, right!" He disappeared down the hall before quickly returning to their front door, preparing to leave for the game between the Schweiden Adlers and the MSBY Black Jackals. Five years later and those two troublesome first years were about to play each other in the big leagues.

"Don't forget to give my best to Hinata-kun and Kageyama-kun," she said, zipping up his fur-lined jacket and placing a pack of tissues in his pocket. "And try not to cry, too much alright?"

She pat him on the chest lightly before pushing up on her toes to give him a kiss. He was already fighting away tears as his wife cupped his cheek and reminded him he still had a team of high schoolers to look after at the game.

"I'm just so excited," he practically shouted. "This is what makes it all worth it, Namie. I'm just so, so proud."

Namie leaned in the doorway of their small home as she watched her husband duck down and enter into his car before slowly backing out of the driveway. She gave him a small smile as she placed one hand in the air to wave him off and placed the other on her stomach.

"You don't know it yet, but we're incredibly proud of you too, Tetsu," she murmured into the air.


End file.
